Manchester City Three Goals to Nil The Red Devils: Lauren Hemp on target in Manchester City comfortable victory.

Similar to the recent storm swept through the north-west the previous evening, the home side overwhelmed Manchester United aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a emphatic three goal win for their manager's side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their leadership claims as they consolidated their position at the league summit.

Successive Losses for Manchester United

This result marked back-to-back WSL defeats for the United manager's side for the maiden instance since last May, putting them a significant margin off the league leaders with their championship aspirations in serious doubt.

The Red Devils' capability to balance league and continental football with a limited team has been a widely debated subject since they secured entry to the UCL. Considering the calendar, it always felt like this was the period that would truly test this fortitude. Unfortunately for the away side, they looked fatigued from start to finish, the landmark win against the French side clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

The United manager had sought to make changes with a several changes. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Galton all brought energy, although the exclusion of the high-performing Malard to the bench raised a few eyebrows.

The hosts, in contrast, have fewer loading worries. Jeglertz made one change from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from injury.

Overpowering Start

The trouble started to build for the United boss and his team from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the quality from Manchester City whose dynamic attack played with and pulled the visitors apart with a superb first half performance that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes.

This placed City firmly in control and left United all at sea. In advance of this encounter, United had conceded just few in this league campaign but they collapsed in the presence of Manchester City's offensive ingenuity.

Early Chances

The early indicators came soon when Miedema used her power to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Hemp was at the center of everything from the start, using the space left by Riviere down the visitors' wing. Her passes were causing problems and led to an chance for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg cleared off the line.

United had several sorties forward, their straightforward approach giving them alternatives in the wide areas but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, on the other hand, controlled possession, probing their opponents and trying to pull them out of their defensive shape.

Goals Galore

They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A ball to the far post was headed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to head in. It was City’s seventh goal from a cross of the season.

They increased their lead with an additional two goals just before the interval. When Rose was permitted to advance through the center from the back, the play opened up for the hosts. The influential Casparij picked the ball up on the right before sending a precise low cross for Shaw to bundle home. A short time later, they had a additional score after a swift shift in possession saw Hemp allowed the opportunity to fire a shot home from distance.

After the Break

The most obvious adjustment came from Skinner at the break as Melvine Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was futile to change the course of the contest. Former City player Park came nearest, hitting the woodwork, but the visitors were offensively poor and were unable to register a solitary shot on target.

The home side, on the other hand, could have added to their lead when a superb Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it was insignificant to the hosts. Having failed to overcome any side who placed above them the previous campaign, the manager's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to put them in a favorable situation after the opening fixtures.